Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy Part 2

"I have been visiting minds for a very, very long time to aid our cause. You would be surprised at all the things I learned long ago. While you Sisters were engaged in palace politics, in battles for power on your own little island, in courting either the Creator or the Keeper, seeking favors in return for loyalty to one or the other, I have been working to unite the Old World in the cause of the Fellowship of Order, which is the true cause of the Creator and therefore the only righteous cause of mankind.

"While you were teaching young men to be wizards, I was showing those same young men the true Light. Without the Sisters even being aware of it, many of those young wizards had already devoted themselves to the future salvation of mankind by becoming disciples of the Order. They spent decades walking the halls of the Palace of the Prophets, right under the noses of the Sisters, while working as brothers of the Fellowship of Order. And I was there in their minds as they read all those restricted books down in the vaults of the palace.

"As a dream walker, I gave them direction and purpose in their studies. I knew what was needed. I had them search for me. As brothers of the Order they long ago found the secret entrance down into the catacombs — it was hidden under an unused and long-forgotten storage area in the older section of the stables. They spirited this book, as well as other valuable volumes, out of the catacombs, and then when I finally arrived at the palace after triumphantly unifying the Old World, they delivered them to me. I have had this particular copy for decades.

"The only thing I didn't have was a way through the great barrier so that I could get at both the boxes and the means of verification. But then, through their meddling, the Sisters obliged me by doing things that resulted in the destruction of that barrier.

"Now that the Palace of the Prophets has been destroyed, I'm afraid that the catacombs and the books they held have been lost for all time, but those young men searched through most of those hidden volumes, and through their eyes I've read most of them. The palace and the catacombs are now gone, but not all the knowledge contained there has been lost. Those young men grew up to become brothers, many still alive and serving in our struggle.

"When I witnessed you hatch your plan to capture the Mother Confessor, I realized I could use that plan to finally get my hands on her and use her for my purposes, so I allowed you to think you were accomplishing exactly what you wanted, while you were, in fact, accomplishing what I wanted. I now have the book, and the Mother Confessor that the book says must be used to confirm their validity."

Both Sisters could only stare.

Kahlan's mind spun in confusion. Mother Confessor. She was the Mother Confessor.

What in the world was a Mother Confessor?

Jagang flashed the Sisters a cunning smile. "You have been the perfect fools, don't you think?"

"Yes, Excellency," they both conceded as one in small voices.

"So, you see," he went on, "we now have two copies of The Book of Counted Shadows, and both have the same mistake — the word 'shadow' instead of 'shadows' on the cover."

"But this is still only two," Sister Armina said. "What if all the other copies have the same flaw?"

"I don't think that's going to happen," Sister Ulicia said.

"Well, if they did, it would certainly prove something, now, wouldn't it?" Jagang arched a questioning eyebrow over one dark eye. "I now have two, and they have the exact same error. We will need to have the rest to confirm the theory that one will have the title written correctly, as 'shadows. So, as it turns out we will need to keep the Mother Confessor alive until we can see if she has really found the flaw that will verify the true copy."

"And if all the copies have the same flaw, Excellency?" Sister Armina asked.

"Then we will have learned that the error in the title isn't the method for verifying The Book of Counted Shadows. It may turn out that we need to give her access to the copy itself so that she can have a broader basis for making the verification — for making it on things that for now she isn't able to see."

Sister Armina lifted a hand. "But Excellency, I don't know that such a thing is even possible."

Jagang didn't answer Armina's concern, but instead took the book from her and set it beside the one on the table. "The Mother Confessor is still vital to us. She is the only way to verify the one, true copy. We can't yet be certain that she has done that. So far she made a judgment on the only information available to her. For now, we need her alive."

"Yes, Excellency," Sister Armina said.

"I think she might be waking," Sister Ulicia said.

Kahlan realized that she had been listening so intently that she had failed to completely close her eyes when Sister Ulicia looked her way. The Sister came closer, peering down at her.